Chepstow & District Amateur Radio Society - Constitution

Adopted at the Extraordinary General Meeting held on 6 October 2026.

1. Name

The Society shall be known as the Chepstow & District Amateur Radio Society.

2. Aims

The aims of the Society shall be to further the interests of its members in all aspects of amateur radio and directly associated activities.

3. Membership

Membership shall be open, subject to the discretion of the Committee, to all persons interested in the aims of the Society. A member is defined by those whom have paid a subscription.

Guests / Visitors. Members may occasionally invite guests to meetings. No guest should attend more than 3 meetings in each year, unless the permission of the committee has been granted.

All members shall abide by the constitution of the Society. The Committee shall have power to expel any member whose conduct, in the opinion of at least three-quarters of the full Committee, renders that person to be unfit to be a member of the Society. No member shall be expelled without first having been given an opportunity to appear before the Committee.

A member shall be deemed to have resigned from the club, if, by the 1st May of the financial year, their subscription has not been renewed in full or if it has not been waived or reduced by the committee due to special circumstances.

4. Subscriptions

1. The annual subscription shall be set by the committee.
2. Any subscriptions shall be due and payable April 6th.
3. Members in arrears have no voting rights.
4. The Committee shall have the power to waive or reduce subscriptions in special circumstances.
5. In addition to the annual subscription there may be a meeting subscription, that will be paid by all members attending the meeting. The amount to be paid will be set by the committee.

5. Finance

All money received by the Society shall be promptly deposited in the Society's bank account. Withdrawals require the signature of two out of three nominated committee members, and any money spent must be discussed and voted for by the committee first.

The financial year will be 6th April to 5th April and at the end of each year the books will be submitted for independent auditing.

6. Membership of the Society's Committee

The Society's affairs shall be administered by a Committee elected at the Annual General Meeting. The Committee, in whom the Society's property shall be vested, shall consist of:

1. A Chairperson who will preside at all meetings at which s/he is present.
2. A Vice Chairperson, to act as deputy to chairperson.
3. A Secretary.
4. A Treasurer.
5. A maximum of five ordinary Committee Members.
6. There can be co-opted members as the committee see fit at such times as the committee feels relevant. These co-opted members shall have no voting rights in committee business but are there to advise.

7. Committee Standing Orders

1. The quorum for the Committee shall be 3 members plus the chair or vice chair. In the absence of a quorum, business may be dealt with but any decisions taken only become valid after ratification at the next meeting at which the number Committee Members shall constitute a quorum.
2. Committee meetings may be called by any full committee member.
3. The chair, or vice chair if chair is absent, shall be entitled to vote initially and shall cast a second vote in the event of a tied decision.
4. The committee may when they consider it necessary and appropriate issue Policies and Procedures to support the administration and management of the society and the safe and proper conduct of its activities. This does not authorise the committee to create anything that would constitute a binding rules on members.

8. Annual General Meeting

1. The Annual General Meeting shall normally be held in June.
2. At least 21 days' notice shall be given to each member by e-mail to their last recorded e-mail address. This will include details of the re-election of the committee. A nomination form is to be completed by every candidate from the society who wishes to stand for committee and be proposed and seconded.
3. All completed nomination forms to be submitted to the secretary at least 7 days prior to the AGM.
4. The collated list of members wishing to stand as committee members will be sent to all members 5 days prior to AGM via email plus the auditor's report.
5. The quorum of an AGM is one half of the number of members (rounded down when necessary) at the date of the meeting. If the quorum is not met then the AGM will be rescheduled for 14 days later and decisions will be made by those present including the proxy votes.
6. Each member can only vote once for each role.
7. If any member is unable to attend then they may submit their proxy votes to the secretary by email 24hrs before the AGM the secretary will send an acknowledgment of this.
8. The agenda for the meeting shall be:
   1. Apologies for absence.
   2. Minutes of the previous AGM.
   3. Chairperson's report.
   4. Secretary's report.
   5. Treasurer's report. The treasurer calls for a vote to accept the auditor's report.
   6. Election of the new Committee, including any votes submitted by proxy.
   7. Other business.
9. The existing committee will continue in their roles until the end of the AGM.
10. Items to be raised by members under other business must be notified to the Secretary not less than 14 days before the AGM.

9. Extraordinary General Meeting

Extraordinary General Meetings may be called by the committee or not less than fifty percent of members of the Society.

The date of the meeting should be the earliest convenient as decided by the Committee.

At least 28 days' notice in writing must be given to the Secretary and chair. The secretary in-turn shall give members at least 14 days' notice in writing of the agenda.

No other business shall be transacted at the EGM.

10. Amendments to the Constitution

The constitution may be amended only at an EGM called specifically for this purpose.

11. Winding Up of the Society

The decision to wind up the Society may be taken only an EGM called specifically for this purpose.

The funds of the Society shall, after the sale of all assets and the payment of all outstanding debts, be disposed of as directed by members at the EGM.

Chepstow & District Amateur Radio Society (CADARS)
Constitution adopted: 6 October 2026